An occasion to support neurodiversity and peoples of all abilities in the form of a 5K walk will be held by local A Little Compassion (ALC) on Oct. 1.

The Compassion Walk, which begins at Deep River Elementary School at 9 a.m., will be an adaptable route based on individual walker’s stamina, interest, and abilities, according to ALC Executive Director Jane Moen.

“There’s two different cutoffs on the route, one that takes off almost a mile and another that takes off another mile. Instead of almost three miles, folks can cut it down to two and a half miles, or to two miles,” said Moen. “We wanted the walk to be fully inclusive and open to everybody and every ability. We’re proud of that because there’s a lot of folks who just don’t have the stamina or the interest to walk that far, but they’ll be able to participate.”

The event, the first of its kind by ALC, is meant for people from all walks of life, with the hopes of reaching the greatest number of people to support ALC’s mission in supporting and honoring neurodiverse individuals and their integral message of acceptance and inclusion, according to Moen. It’s this kind of community outreach that has found interest in people outside those represented by the non-profit in taking part in their events, and has brought traffic to ALC’s Nest Coffee House on Main Street, as stated by volunteer Board of Director Ken Chmielewski.

“We’ve found when we do these events we actually kind of tap into interest from people who weren’t necessarily familiar with The Nest from all over the state, because the message just resonated with them,” he said. “It’s amazing how many people it just touches, and how many get involved when we put the word out there.”

The tagline of the Compassion walk, Paving the Way for Peoples of All Abilities, honors that message of inclusivity in regards to neurodiverse backgrounds, but is also broader in its scope to bring all individuals who want to help shift perceptions people with physical and mental disabilities, and embrace them as fully regarded members of their communities. Events such as the 5K walk are the kind that contribute to bringing about awareness of ALC’s message, according to program director Kimberly Taylor.

“This is an event that people see regularly, they have runs and walks for tons of things. But this one really focuses on that awareness and inclusion of everyone,” said Taylor. “We really want to showcase that everyone is welcome and everyone can come together to do something like this, which is often overlooked. That’s why we really focus on the fact that it’s an easy walk.”

The inclusive element of the Compassion Walk is the primary reason for its adaptability of the route taken for the event, to account for not just mental disabilities, but physical as well, understanding limitations for those who may not be able to complete a full 5K, but are nonetheless committed to demonstrating support for ALC’s message.

When ALC thought of the idea for an event similar to the Compassion Walk, the original intention was for it to be running-based, but that method of traveling by foot contradicted the organization’s core message, as it would have appeared too competitive rather than inclusive, according to Chmielewski.

Activities intended for children will accompany the day’s event as well. ALC’s has partnered with the Westbrook YMCA in arranging an accessible and modifiable children’s obstacle course that the youngest registrants for the race can enjoy prior to the start of the walk, while other activities will be planned alongside the event as well. For those who want a break after having completed their distance of the walk, The Nest will be hosting a coloring contest, while discounts on products at the coffee shop will likely be given to walk participants as well, according to Moen.

For those who will not be able to participate in the Compassion Walk in-person, there will be the alternative option of a virtual 5K walk, which will allow those who wish to support ALC to take on their own individual route. Registrants can track their progress on ALC’s website after signing up for that particular option, and the choice of distance will apply to it too.

“We have supporters as far as California and Texas, down to Maryland, and some young folks who participate in smaller gatherings are actually from Canada,” said Moen. “So the virtual walk option really allows people to be a part of it from wherever they are.”

Registration for the Compassion is available on their website alittlecompassion.org, with participation for children between the ages of 4 to 12 at $15 per person, and $20 for all at age 13 and up. The same amount will be for participation in the virtual walk. All registration fees will be donations towards ALC.